Senator Bam Demands Immigration Bureau to Explain Offloading of Dota 2 Team
Last Friday, April 3, 2015, three members of Korea-based Philippine Dota 2 team Rave were asked by immigration officials to disembark from their return flight to Korea, citing incomplete exit documentation.
In a statement released by Senator Benigno Paolo “Bam” Aquino earlier today, the senator demanded that the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) and the Bureau of Immigration (BOI) explain why Ryo “ryOyr” Hasegawa, Mark “Cast” Pilar and Djardel “Chrissy” Mampusti were offloaded from their AirAsia flight back to Korea last April 3, 2015.
The team was en route to return to their gaming house in Incheon, Korea, to practice and prepare for two international tournaments: Electronic Sports League (ESL) One Frankfurt 2015 and RedBull Battle Grounds.
In the past, the senator has shown support for the eSports industry and cyber athletes, stating that government can help would-be professionals in securing necessary travel documents for tournaments.
In his statement, Senator Aquino asked the two government agencies to explain why they barred the three Filipino cyber athletes from leaving for Korea.
“They have traveled several times to South Korea using the same documents they presented in the past without any hitch. Suddenly, they were barred from leaving without any valid reason,” the statement read.
“Worse, the offloading happened during a crucial time where they were scheduled to train for several big international competitions,” it added.
Yesterday, Rave competed in the online qualifiers for ESL One Frankfurt, in Germany.
Despite being a heavy favorite to win against their opponents, team Underminer, Rave lost in two games.
The team played despite their circumstances, with ryOyr, Cast and Chrissy playing from an internet cafe in Manila.
In the end however, a combination of unstable internet and slow connections proved too much of a hurdle for the team to traverse. They were slated to win with a 78% odds from popular betting site, Dota2lounge.com.
“Government should be able to provide an environment where our athletes, online or offline, be able to hone their skills, compete in world class competitions, and give honor and pride to our country,” Sen. Bam pointed out in the statement.
The office of Sen. Bam has been extending assistance to Team Rave as support for the growth of the community and development of the e-industry in the country.
“We will continue helping them in any way we can because we believe in their potential in bringing honor to our country,” Sen. Bam said.
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